World Cup: Run Your Own CFD Analysis of a Spinning Soccer Ball
Blog post from Rescale
The collaboration between Rescale and Convergent Science aims to demystify the physics behind the curving soccer ball in the 2014 World Cup using cloud-based computational fluid dynamics (CFD). By utilizing Convergent Science's CONVERGE™ CFD software with its automated meshing technology and Rescale's customizable high-performance computing platform, they modeled and simulated the spinning ball's trajectory. The simulation revealed that a professional kick, with a velocity of 23 meters per second and a spin of 24 revolutions per second, can cause the ball to curve significantly, moving laterally by 3 meters per second due to the vortex created by the spin. This collaboration highlights how advanced CFD and cloud technology enable engineers and scientists to efficiently conduct simulations, offering insights into complex physical phenomena.